Union Square is mainly back to normal and shows few signs of the riot that swept through the area last week, but police continue to search for suspects.

Officials have been circulating images of people shown on video damaging property and throwing objects at police officers.

What You Need To Know

  • Union Square is mainly back to normal and shows few signs of the riot that swept through the area last week, but police continue to search for suspects
  • Criminal justice professor Adam Wandt says the NYPD will be looking at ways to leverage social media monitoring software to help stay ahead of any potential future events
  • As police continue to investigate, business leaders in the area are hoping a riot will not happen again

Thousands of teenagers and young adults gathered in Union Square Friday after social media influencer Kai Cenat posted online that he would be there giving away PlayStation 5 gaming systems.

Cenat is also facing several charges himself. Police say he failed to notify police or get proper permissions before calling his fans to Union Square.

“A social media influencer with millions of followers showing up on a corner in New York City is not something the NYPD has had to deal with before, and it’s not something they have experience dealing with,” said Adam Wandt, a John Jay College of Criminal Justice professor.

According to Wandt, the NYPD will be looking at ways to leverage social media monitoring software to help stay ahead of any potential future events.

“They’re able to bring all this information for law enforcement in ways that could be analyzed,” Wandt said.

As police continue to investigate, business leaders in the area are hoping a riot won't happen again.

“Mobile vendors are the ones the bore the brundt of any damage. A lot of the businesses that are in buildings were spared," said Julie Stein, the executive director of the Union Square Partnership.

Paragon Sports was among the businesses that stayed open despite the riot.

“I think that was a one-time moment, and things happen in New York City,” said Zachary Blank, Paragon’s chief executive officer. “Unfortunately, [it happened], but I thought everybody responded extremely well.”

Stein credits the collaboration between Union Square Partnership and other city agencies like the Department of Sanitation for cleaning up the damage quickly. Stein says events are welcome in Union Square, but have to be organized properly.

“I think moving forward, we really want to make sure that events that are happening in the park and in the plazas are permitted, because we want to make sure we keep everyone safe, and when we know about events that are happening in advance, we can send the right resources, the right barricades,” Stein said.